Pedagogical and Technical Suggestions for J. S. Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas, BWV 1001-1006, for First-year College Students in a Four-year Course of Study

Abstract

The purpose of this lecture document is to present a four-year course of study, using the Sonatas and Partitas, BWV 1001-1006 by Johann Sebastian Bach, for an entering first-year college student. Even though the Sonatas and Partitas by Bach have been included in college auditions as repertoire to present the student’s musicality and technique as a solo violinist without any accompaniment, many students have little experience with this literature. In the proposed course of study, three case studies (the Allemanda in D Minor, the Gavotte en Rondeau in E Major, and the Fuga in G Minor) of the Sonatas and Partitas are presented in two different approaches – the historically informed performance practice (HPP) and the mainstream performance practice (MSP). The list of references for the first-year student in each approach is included.